CSULB Commencement Office confirms two guest tickets, graduates to walk across ‘microstages’ at Angel Stadium

By: Iman Palm and Julia Terbeche

Long Beach State’s Commencement Office has confirmed that Angel Stadium will be permitting graduating students to have two guest tickets for next month’s ceremony.

“The university has worked with Angel Stadium to increase allowable tickets per ceremony so that each student may now have two guests along with the two parking passes,” the email read. “Mobile tickets will be distributed in mid-May to all eligible graduates.”

Graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 will also be able to walk across “microstages,” which will be present in the stadium parking lot for photo opportunities.

According to an email from Jeff Cook, associate vice president for strategic communications, there will be six “graduate recognition stages” in total set up outside the stadium.

While the ceremony will occur inside Angel Stadium, the recognition stages will be set up outside the venue in the parking lot for graduates to walk across. At the stages, students’ customized grad slides will be displayed and their names will be read aloud by CSULB alumnus Jamieson Price, a professional voice actor and announcer for the recent Mortal Kombat games.

“Pre-recorded name-reading occurs only at the recognition stages outside of the stadium. Students may access these stages both before and after the ceremonies inside the stadium,” Cook said. “At the recognition stages outside the stadium, students scan their ticket and their name is played and their graduate slide is shown. Graduates can then walk across the stage as their guests or friends take photos or videos.”

Cook maintained that “the ceremonies inside the stadium and the availability of the recognition stages outside the stadium are independent of each other.”

This announcement comes after officials previously stated that students would remain in their seats for the entirety of the program.

In a previous email to the Daily Forty-Niner, Cook said that students will not be given any form of diploma as “giving participants any item handled by multiple persons is not permitted and, therefore, is not being planned.”

While the programs for each ceremony are still being planned, a big part of each ceremony will be “the formal conferral of degrees,” according to Cook.

The deadline for students to submit their name pronunciation has been extended to April 16, and the graduate slide complete with a photo and quote is due May 1.

Per the email, only those with tickets will be allowed inside the venue and must remain seated throughout the ceremony in accordance with health regulations.

Students will be recognized by college and class from May 28 through 31:

• College of Engineering — Friday, May 28, 9:30 a.m.
• College of Liberal Arts — Friday, May 28, 5 p.m.
• College of the Arts — Saturday, May 29, 9:30 a.m.
• College of Health & Human Services — Saturday, May 29, 5 p.m.
• College of Education — Sunday, May 30, 9:30 a.m.
• College of Business — Sunday, May 30, 5 p.m.
• College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics — Monday, May 31, 9:30 a.m.

More details are available on the commencement website.